First Battle

"Shigure, Teacher Hyuga told us to meet at the Konoha Gate! He just informed us that we've been assigned a C-rank mission, so we should be heading out now! But I couldn't find you, and little Xiao Xing happened to be looking for you, too," Hinata Kurenai said.

"Xiao Xing, is something the matter?" Shigure asked.

"Brother Shiyu, it's nothing. You're going on a mission, so I brought you these as a little something from me!" Xiao Xing handed Shigure the soldier pills she had bought, filling his heart with warmth.

"You silly girl, it's fine. It's only a C-rank mission. Just wait for me to come back!" Shigure reassured her, then quickly finished gathering his equipment.

Team Seven—Hinata Kurenai, Kakashi Nao, and Uchiha Shigure—arrived at the Konoha Gate. Hizashi Hyuga and another burly, bearded man were already waiting there.

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"Kurenai, Nao, Shigure! Let's go!" Hizashi announced. "You've all performed exceptionally well, so I specially requested a C-rank mission for you. I hope you'll complete it perfectly!"

"Can these three brats really be trusted?" the burly man asked, clearly doubtful of Shigure and the others' abilities.

"For Genin, they're among the best. You should know, sir, that your payment barely meets the standard for a C-rank mission."

After Hizashi Hyuga rebuked him, the burly man quieted down.

"The man you see here is Noguchi Hideo. He's the client for this mission," Hizashi Hyuga explained.

"It's simple. We just need to protect Mr. Noguchi from attacks by wild animals and bandits," Hizashi said, briefly explaining the mission.

"This is a C-rank mission, the kind usually assigned to Chunin. But since we'll be staying within the Land of Fire, and I'll be leading the team, I made an exception and let you take part. I believe in you!" Hizashi encouraged them as he explained.

After walking for about three hours, the five of them had traveled from noon into the afternoon, and the sky was beginning to darken.

"Looks like we won't make it to the next town at this pace. Let's rest here until tomorrow morning," Hizashi said.

"How long will it take us to get there at this rate?" the burly man asked impatiently.

"Mr. Noguchi, are you hiding something from us?" Shigure immediately asked, fixing his gaze on Noguchi.

Mr. Noguchi looked startled, but he still tried to appear calm. "Of course not! What would I be hiding from you?"

But no one present seemed to believe him.

"Awooo!" Under the dark, windy night sky, a pack of wolves began to howl.

"What was that?" Noguchi trembled, and Hinata Kurenai also looked frightened.

"Kurenai, protect Mr. Noguchi. Shigure and Nao, keep formation! Byakugan!" Hizashi Hyuga activated his Byakugan, and veins bulged around his eyes.

"The wolves are attacking!" Hizashi had barely shouted when a pack of wolves sprang from the woods and knocked him down.

"Ah! Teacher Hyuga!" Hinata Kurenai screamed.

Kakashi Nao was sweating profusely. Clearly, he had never faced a situation this dire. He swung his Gray Fang and charged at the wolves, cutting down several of them with a few slashes.

But once the wolves smelled blood, they went berserk and began howling.

"Awooo!"

"Awooo!"

"How many of these wolves are there?!" Noguchi cried in fear.

Hinata Kurenai stood frozen, kunai in hand.

She completely lost control of her emotions.

Shigure watched the pack and sneered. "Hatake! Get back in formation! Stay close to Noguchi and form a circle!"

"Got it!" Hatake hadn't completely lost his wits. He kicked a wolf away, then the three of them formed a circle around Noguchi.

"What are wolves most afraid of? Fire! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Shigure formed the Hand Seals in an instant and spat out a huge fireball.

The nearby wolves couldn't react in time. Shigure's flames engulfed and burned them to death. Wolves were cunning animals, and faced with such a fierce enemy, the rest fled without a trace.

Shigure lowered his hand. "It's all right now. Let's get some sleep!"

Noguchi hadn't even realized what was happening before the danger was already over.

Even Hinata Kurenai and Kakashi Nao could hardly believe it.

"Go to sleep? But Teacher Hyuga—" Hinata Kurenai glanced toward where Hizashi had fallen, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a wooden post.

"Big Beard, Kurenai, Nao, Teacher Hyuga isn't dead. He's a Jonin, after all! He was probably testing our reactions. He's somewhere nearby watching us now."

Seeing the three of them look doubtful, Shigure scratched his head. "Did any of you actually get hurt? If you were really in danger, Teacher Hyuga would have shown himself."

Sure enough, as soon as Shigure finished speaking, Hizashi Hyuga appeared before them with a Body Flicker.

He looked at Kurenai and Nao first, then at Noguchi and Shigure.

"Shigure, I watched the crisis unfold from beginning to end, and you were the calmest one. You protected your teammates and the client, Mr. Noguchi, and even drove off the enemy. From now on, you're the leader of Team Seven," Hizashi Hyuga said calmly.

"Now, about you, Nao. Did you ever consider the consequences of charging the wolves without a thought? If there had been more of them, they could easily have surrounded you. If Shigure hadn't called you back, what would have happened? Did you even consider the danger to Mr. Noguchi and your teammates?"

"Miss Kurenai, a ninja needs more than just ninjutsu; they also need a strong heart. Just now, yours crumbled. Whatever the reason, I hope you'll grow stronger from now on. All right?" Hizashi wasn't especially stern, but Nao and Kurenai were both deeply remorseful.

Hizashi then turned to Noguchi. "Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Noguchi. As you can see, it was just a false alarm."

"It's fine, it's fine," Mr. Noguchi said, not daring to say anything more.

The group spent the night without incident, taking turns keeping watch. Fortunately, nothing stirred.

At daybreak, they set off again.

Nao and Kurenai were clearly much more composed now, and Hizashi watched them and nodded to himself.

"Good. You learned from your mistakes."

Shigure, meanwhile, kept his attention on Noguchi, the bearded man.